SLP - Speech-Language Pathology Fluency and Its Disorders Questions and Answers

Question 1

An 8-year-old boy is referred for a fluency evaluation.
His teacher reports that he speaks very quickly, often deletes syllables, and uses an excessive number of interjections like 'um' and 'like'.
During assessment, the SLP notes that the boy's speech is often difficult to understand due to a rapid and irregular rate, but he does not exhibit sound prolongations or blocks.
He also seems largely unaware of his speech difficulties.
Which fluency disorder is the most likely diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Cluttering

Answer

Neurogenic stuttering

Answer

Developmental stuttering

Answer

Psychogenic stuttering

Question 2

A 65-year-old male presents with a sudden onset of disfluent speech following a left-hemisphere stroke. His speech is characterized by repetitions and prolongations on all parts of words, including function words. He does not exhibit secondary behaviors like eye blinking or facial grimacing, and his disfluency is consistent across different speaking tasks, including singing. This presentation is most characteristic of:

Accepted Answer

Neurogenic stuttering

Answer

Developmental stuttering

Answer

Cluttering

Answer

Psychogenic stuttering

Question 3

Which of the following is a primary goal of a stuttering modification approach, such as the one developed by Van Riper?

Accepted Answer

To reduce the fear and avoidance associated with stuttering and to stutter more easily.

Answer

To eliminate all disfluencies and achieve perfectly fluent speech.

Answer

To teach a new, fluent manner of speaking by controlling rate, onset, and articulation.

Answer

To provide parents with verbal contingencies to reinforce fluent speech in their children.

Question 4

The Lidcombe Program is an evidence-based treatment for early childhood stuttering. Which statement best describes the core components of this approach?

Accepted Answer

Therapy focuses on desensitizing the child to stuttering through voluntary stuttering and disclosure.

Answer

The SLP teaches the child slow, stretched speech and easy onsets in the clinic.

Answer

It is an indirect treatment where parents modify their own communication style to facilitate fluency.

Answer

Parents are trained by the SLP to provide explicit verbal feedback for stuttered and stutter-free speech in the child's everyday environment.

Question 5

In the context of stuttering, behaviors such as eye blinking, head nodding, or using filler words to postpone or escape a moment of disfluency are classified as:

Accepted Answer

Secondary behaviors

Answer

Core behaviors

Answer

Atypical disfluencies

Answer

Anticipatory mannerisms

Question 6

A speech-language pathologist is choosing between a fluency shaping and a stuttering modification approach for an adult client. The client's primary goals are to produce more fluent speech and to sound as 'normal' as possible, and he is less concerned with his feelings about stuttering. Which approach would be a better initial fit for this client's goals?

Accepted Answer

Fluency Shaping, because it focuses on systematically increasing fluent speech production.

Answer

Stuttering Modification, because it reduces tension during moments of stuttering.

Answer

A hybrid approach, as it is always the best practice.

Answer

An indirect approach, focusing on environmental modifications.